Then & Now: Ohio Seamless Tube in Shelby 1908

The seamless steel tube industry originated in Shelby in 1891 as The Shelby Steel Tube Company.

Their product was created principally for use in bicycles, though it was perfect for early airplanes as well. The city was proud to say that Shelby Tube was used exclusively in the Spirit of St Louis when Lindburgh crossed the Atlantic in 1927.

The Tubey has had various names through the years. When these postcards were produced in 1908 it was called Ohio Seamless Tube Co. Today the plant is just as vital as it ever was, in the steel industry and in the Shelby economy, and is called ArcelorMittal.

Timothy Brian McKee is a featured columnist on our site every Saturday with a column titled Native Son. Every Tuesday, he taps into his knowledge and collection of historical photos and bring us Then & Now, a brief glance at the way things were.